Fence



(No Model.)

J. MAI-ION.

FENCE.

*" llllmllll 19i bnao am 5 141) am to z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MAHON, or DUNKTEK, OHIO.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,098, dated August 9,1887.

Application filed May 17, 1887. Serial No. 238,530. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES MAHON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dunkirk, in the county of Hardin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of my improved fence. Fig. 2 is a similar view of one of the posts, showing the wires secured at one end ready to be secured around the ends of the rails. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the fence, taken through the ends of the rails and looking toward the side of the post; and Fig. 4 is a detail top plan View of the top rail and its fastening to the post.

Similarnumerals of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to that class of fences in which the ends of the rails are secured to the posts by means of wire loops; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of the means-for securing the ends of the rails to the post, and in the improved construction and combination of parts of the means for securing a top rail or capping-rail to the upper ends of the posts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the numerals 1 indicate the upright posts, which are placed in the line of the fence, and which are provided upon one face with a number of crosspieces, 2, secured at the desired distances from each other, preferably upon the sides of the posts facing in the same direction, and upon the sides of the posts facing in the direction of the line of the fence. The ends of the rails 3 rest upon the ends of these cross-pieces, the said ends projecting beyond the edges of the post a distance equal to the thickness of the rail, and pieces 4 of wire are secured with one end to the face of the post immediately above the cross-pieces by means of staples 5, while their other ends are secured to the face of the staples and a pair of tongs or pliers for drawpost in a line with the upper edges of the rails by means of staples 6. These pieces of wire thus form loops, which secure the ends of the rails to the cross-pieces by being passed around the ends of the cross-pieces and around the ends of the rails, and then drawn tightly through one of the staples, which is loosely driven into the face of the post, whereupon the staple is driven tight into the post, securing the end of the wire.

The ends of the rails may either be secured as shown in the drawings, the ends of the rails in one panel being secured to the opposite sides of, the posts at the ends of the panel, or the rails of one panel may be secured to the same sides of the two posts, whereupon the, ends of the rails of the next panel are secured to the opposite sides, and so forth.

It will be seen that by securing the ends of the rails by'the pieces of wire forming them into loops the said loops may be very tightly drawn around the ends of the cross-pieces and rails, as one end of each piece of wire may first be secured to the post, whereupon the wire may be bent around the ends of the crosspiece and rail and loosely secured by the staple, when it maybe tightened by drawing it, and at last secured by driving the staple home after it has been sufficiently tightened. It will also be seen that the fastening may be done at a comparatively small cost and with comparative rapidity, and without the need of complicated tools or a great number of the same, as a hammer or hatchet for driving the 5 ing and cutting the wires will be sufiicient.

The rails or posts will not be marred or split by large nails or spikes being driven into them, as the fastenings only consist of the comparatively small staples and of nails for securing the cross-pieces, which may be comparatively small, as a portion of the weight of the rails only is borne by the cross-pieces, the staples securing the wireloops supporting the greater portion of the weight.

The top rail or capping-rail,7,is placed upon the upper ends of the posts, and bails 8 of wire are placed straddling the said rail and the upper ends of the posts, and are secured by staples 9, driven over the middles of the 100 bails and into the upper side of the rail, and by staples 10, securing the ends of the bails to the sides of the post. In this manner a sim ple and durable fence may be built, and a fence in which the material. used is so slightly marred or changed in preparing it for use that it may be taken apart and the material again used for any other purpose for which it might have been suitable before being used in building the fence.

Having thus described my invention, I claim. and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States In a fence, the combination, with the posts and the rails, of cross-pieces secured upon the sides of the posts, and pieces of wire passed JAMES M AHON.

Witnesses:

EZEKIEL OWEN, JOHN T. Tnenen. 

